2009 Preservation Awards and Presentation to Mayor Nutter
Presentation by Hy Myers to Mayor Nutter
During the February 2009 National Victorian
Society in America board meeting, the Preservation committee accepted the Philadelphia Chapter’s three nominations of
Philadelphia City Hall Envelope Renovations, Please Touch Museum at Memorial Hall Restoration, and the Historic Smithville
Streetscape Renovation for the 2009 Preservation Awards. During this meeting the Board of Directors voted
unanimously to honor the The Philadelphia City Hall project and the Historic Smithville project with the 2009 Preservation
Award.
The exterior restoration of Philadelphia’s City Hall returned this magnificent National Historic Landmark to
its original appearance. The restoration work included the preparation of a master plan, the cleaning of
the white marble façade, the conservation of the building’s many sculptures, the repair of the ornamental cast
iron roof components and the rehabilitation of the mahogany window frames.
The Preservation Award honored Historic Smithville, NJ for the restoration of this remarkably intact industrial village
constructed by Hezekiah Smith between 1865 and 1887. The site was enhanced by the reconstruction of the
Victorian bandstand and greenhouses on Park Avenue. Especially important was the restoration of the landscape
and streetscape of the village as closely as possible to the original configuration, including paving, walls, railing and
light fixtures.
On July 8th, the Philadelphia
Chapter had the honor of accompanying the National Victorian Society in America to formally present the 2009 Preservation
Aware to Mayor Michael Nutter. The presentation was conducted in the
Mayor’s Reception Room and Hy Myers, a National Board member, made the formal presentation. The Philadelphia Chapter took this special opportunity to introduce the Mayor to the mission of the Philadelphia
Chapter and to air the introductory video the Chapter created for the use in the visitor’s center of City Hall.
The goal of the video was to present a concise introduction that highlights both the history and the architecture of
City Hall. I am happy to report that the Mayor was very impressed with the video and also extremely honored
to have been a part of the City Hall restoration. Mayor Nutter offered a notable acceptance speech which
highlighted both his personal pride and the pride of Philadelphia in accepting the 2009 Preservation Award.
Victorian Recognition Award
Last year you will recall that the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Chapter
introduced an annual Victorian Recognition Award. The Board of the Philadelphia
Chapter selected Henry J. Magaziner as our 2009 recipient. The award was presented to Mr. Magaziner
in the auditorium of The Watermark Apartments where he resides and was well attended by friends, family, residents and former
colleagues from industry and academia.
Mr. Magaziner was very moved by the award which occurred on August 10th
appropriately 2 months before his 89th birthday. Bob Skaler, the Chapter’s Preservation
Officer and good friend offered the introductory remarks and was followed by several former colleagues who shared their respect
and anecdotal stories of Mr. Magaziner’s long and illustrious career for historic preservation. The event concluded
with a cake and lemonade social which was enjoyed by all.
As members of the Chapter you
are encouraged to share your ideas and recommendations for our upcoming 2010 recipient. Please offer
your nominations to any member of the Board. The
qualifications for nominees for the award are individuals, businesses or organizations that have contributed to some aspect
of Victoriana in the greater Philadelphia area. Aspects to be considered are involvement with Victorian
architecture, art, life styles and/or education of the public regarding the Victorian period. Nominees
need not be members of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Victorian Society in America.
